As the threat of a US-led foreign intervention in Syria flickers on the global stage, the elite Alawite families living in Qerdaha, the hometown of President Bashar al-Assad, refuse to pay it any attention.

Qerdaha is the heart of Alawite Syria, a hub for senior army officers and Shabiha, the pro-Assad militia accused of tremendous brutality in their three-year campaign to thwart the rebel uprising. The mountain town is defiant and unconcerned that its powerful scion makes it a glaring target to thousands of rebel fighters – and US missiles – intent on delivering a punishing blow to their president. As a brutal war ravages the country, life here charges on regardless.

A few local men have formed a home guard of volunteers called the People Committees. But rather than taking up arms, their focus is maintaining civic order. As they see it, the greatest threat is not American or the Free Syrian army, but the public chaos that an attack might unleash.

Aiham Attaf has five brothers in the army. Before the war he was a college student, but his studies became insignificant following the threats posed to the Alawite regime. Protecting the Assad heartland is a role he takes great pride in.

"Being called Shabiha is an honour for me rather than an accusation. Any man who marches in support of the Syrian regime is named Shabiha by these terrorists. It is true, there are a few bad members but most are competent and very human," he says.

Qerdaha residents are confident that the US is unlikely to strike them because there are no strategic military sites within their borders. But for the Syrian rebels, massed on the nearby Al-Akrad mountain launching wave after wave of attacks on Qerdaha, it is the elusive prize that could decide the war.

Abu Musa'ab defected from the Syrian army's Air Defence intelligence unit two years ago and now fights with the Islamic brigade Ansar Al-Sham in Latkia.

"Qerdaha does not have rockets, air defences or artillery brigades. It is a normal town," he concedes. "But if we put our hand on it, the balance of power will be completely shaken. It will be a huge blow to the regime. If he [Assad] can't protect his hometown, the hub of Alawites and the Shabiha, how can he protect the other lands of Syria?

"The Alawites' Plan B - if Damascus falls - is to form an Alawite state in Latakia with Qerdaha as its capital. To lose this would be a disaster. The battle here is a battle for Syria."

It is a not a victory the rebels can win easily. Lines of Syrian army troops circle Qerdaha, adding an additional defence to the natural protection offered by the mountain it perches on, overlooking Latakia. Qerdaha's men are dying in Damascus, Aleppo and Homs – not at home.

"The main chat now among people of Qerdaha is Obama's hesitation and the confusion over fixing a date for [US] aggression against Syria. It's the funniest topic in town. Every one here bursts out laughing when they mention Obama," says Muhammed AlBadi - one of the many residents who think it will be impossible for the Americans to attack Assad as long as he has Moscow's support. If they do attack, however, AlBadi says he and his comrades are ready to fight "to our last drop of blood".

AlBadi, has just graduated from high school and has joined the ranks of young Alawite men working for the People Committees to defend Qardaha.

"I'm civilian but have been trained in light weapons by the People Committees to be able to handle an armed engagement on the ground. Our morale is super and we are ready to defend our country against the terrorists and US agents," he added.

Despite the community's confidence, some are making practical preparations for a siege. Haitham Jameel, a college student, has been helping his parents stockpile food and water in readiness for the possible US attack.

"We are buying lots of bread and storing water in case the aggression goes on for a long time. We won't leave Qerdaha," Jameel says, adding: "We're not scared of Obama or his soldiers. I ask the US soldiers to bring all their guns and bombs but not to forget to bring their coffins, which they'll be sent home in."

In three years of the Syrian conflict, President Assad has not made a single trip to Qerdaha. Delegations have visited on his behalf and, through these proxies, he has accepted People Committees' offer to defend the town freeing the army to fight bigger battles.

"Everyone knows if the [US] strike happens, our answer will need to be direct and within 72 hours. All indicators confirm that Israel will be our first target. And when Israel is hit, it is going to be a hell, hundreds of rockets are going to fall on it. Neither the Iron Dome or Patriots can foil 400 rockets in a single hour," Attaf says.

There are rumours that Alwaites - hearing the recent rhetoric from Paris and Washington - have fled across the border to Lebanon to escape the expected US strike. These stories, Jameel insists, are nonsense. It would be more safer for Assad's allies to head to the mountains, he argues, rather than Lebanon, which, thanks to the activities of Hezbollah, will be just as vulnerable in the event of international military action and a regional war. Rather, the opposite is true.

"Alawite families who have been living outside Qerdaha are coming home now, to protect their land and resist the aggression. They won't give up," Jameel says.

Qerdaha has already sacrificed a great deal for the regime. At least 400 local men have died fighting rebel forces. Some have suggested changing the town's name to "The Town of Martyrs". There is also the very real threat of kidnapping. A relative of Jameel's - an officer in Syrian army - was snatched along with his wife, sister and two kids in Damascus and held and tortured, they claim, for almost three months. They paid 30m Syrian pound (£145,000) to be released.

Despite these losses, Qedaha's faith in Assad remains unshaken. The Alawite youth claim it is an honour to be martyred in defence of their land.

"No one can blame us for our love to President Bashar," Haitham says, "He is my neighbour - something even more important than sharing a religion. What I love most about Bashar is his resistance to any foreign pressure. Whether we have war or peace, he makes sure it is Syria's decision."